Cigar-box catch



(No Model.)

H. W. HEFFENER.

CIGAR BOX CATCH.

No. 388,868. Patented Sept. 4, 1888.

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HENRY W. HEFFENER, OF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA.

CIGAR-BOX CATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.388,868, dated September 4, 1888.

Application filed March 1'7, 1888. Serial No. 267,535.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY W. HEFFENER, of York, in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Catches for Cigar- Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to provide for cigar-boxes or analogous receptacles a catch of simple and cheap construction which may be readily applied to the box without cutting away or recessing any portion of it, which will lie flat and close to the surface of the box, so as not to be a source of inconvenience in packing numbers of such boxes together,which will not be liable to become disengaged by the bending or springing inward 0r outward of the front ofthe box,and which may be quickly and conveniently operated to secure or to release the lid.

With these objects in view, my invention consists in the construction hereinafter set forth and particularly claimed.

In order to make my invention more clearly understood, l have shown in the accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into effect.

In said drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a cigar-box having a catch embodying my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a portion of said box, showing the catch disengaged. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the box, showing the parts of the catch engaged with each other.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the body of a cigar-box. Bis the cover of the same, hinged thereto at I) in any ordinary or preferred manner.

0 is a plate or escutcheon of sheet n1etalsuch as brass-rigidly secured to the lid B, preferahl y upon the upper surface thereof. The plate 0 may be utilized to give an ornamental cifect to the cigar-box by stamping said plate out in the form of a fanciful pattern or design, as indicated.

D is a flat tongue depending from the plate G, and lying parallel with and in close proximity to the front of the box and lid. The

(No model.)

lower end of the tongue D is bent upward, as shown, to form an upwardly-pointing lip, (1.

Upon the front of the box A is pivoted at e a plate, E, which in material and configuration may be similar to the plate C. The plate E is provided with a flat tongue, F, which is parallel with and rests upon the front of the box,aud is carried by the plate when the latter is oscillated upon its pivot c.

G is a stop-pin,which passes through a slot with which the tongue F is provided, which prevents the tongue F from moving in one di rection beyond a perpendicular position, and which limits its movement in the other direction to a distance about equal to the width of the tongue.

f is a downwardly-pointing lip formed upon the plate E by bending over its upper end,aud situated at such distance from the pivot e as to be in line and engage with the hook (i when the tongue F is in a vertical position. When in such position, wit-h the hooksf and d interlocked with each other, it will be seen that the box is securely fastened, the friction between the plate E and the front of the box, which is increased by the engagement of the stop G with the tongue F, serving to prevent any accidental oscillation and disengagement of the lip f.

By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the hooks or lips df are so engaged with each other that they cannot be separated by any relative movement in lines perpendicular to the front of the box. Vhen it is desired to open the box, the tongue F is moved to the rightuntil arrested by the stop G. The tongue D will then be released, while the tongue F will be maintained in close proximity to its first position, so that a small movement after the lid has been closed will reengagc the lips. The outer tongue is resilient and is normally, when the other tongue is not under it, slightly nearer to the surface of the box than it is when the tongues are engaged, such engagement involving a slight forcing outward of the outer 9 tongue by the inner. The forward edge of the inner tongue at f operates practically as an inclined plane to effect such result. This insures that the parts of the catch shall not fail to come into their proper relative positions to inter IOC lock the lips, and that the outer lip shall not surface and provided with the downwardlylie entirely outside of the inner lip. extending lip f and the guidingslot, and the Having thus described my invention, what I stop G, passing throughsaid slot and adapted claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters to limit the oscillation of said tongue F, sub- 15 5 Patent of the United States, isstantially as described. In a cigar-box catch, the combination, with In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my the body A and the lid B, hinged thereto, of signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

the depending tongue D, secured to said lid i HENRY W. HEFFENER. and provided With the upwardly-extending I \Vitnesses: IO lip (Z, the tongue F, pivoted upon the face of A. N. GREEN,

the box by the pivot e at right angles to its DAVID O. PRINCE. 

